Are Older Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients Receiving Early, Aggressive Treatment?

Early, aggressive treatment is often recommended for treating moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis. Do all patients need early, aggressive treatment? Are all patients receiving early, aggressive treatment? Interestingly, study results show they are not. Some doctors may feel a conservative approach is more suitable for certain patients. Some rheumatoid arthritis patients resist aggressive treatments as well.

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A database from the Consortium of Rheumatology Researchers of North America was used to compare treatment plans of patients with elderly-onset rheumatoid arthritis (disease onset after age 60 years) and younger-onset rheumatoid arthritis (disease onset between 40 and 60 years). Study results, which were reported in the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases (2006;65:1226-1229), indicated that elderly-onset rheumatoid arthritis patients received combination DMARDs (disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs) and biologic treatments less frequently than younger-onset patients even though both groups had identical disease duration as well as comparable disease severity and disease activity.

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• TNF Blockers for Rheumatoid Arthritis - Infection Risk Assessed in Older Patients

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